Preparing to Use Open Education Resources: Practical Considerations

Open educational resources (OERs), or open source content, are free, accessible, openly licensed (public domain) documents, textbooks, media, lab activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, etc. used for education learning, assessment or research (Kauppinen, 2013). As concerns about the skyrocketing costs of a college degree have converged with increasing availability of open resources, faculty and curriculum designers are increasingly considering the use of OERs in the design of courses and programs. This session will examine some of the practical considerations in using OERs with special attention being given to lessons learned from past experiences, strategies related to using OERs, as well as struggles and successes in engaging students with the material. Lastly, potential areas for further research will be discussed.